And orders the Clark of this Board to acquaint him with Lib. X. what is expected from him Then read the petition of M' Robert Mason humbly submitting himself to his Excellency Whereupon ordered that the said Mason be acquainted that upon a fuller Confession of his offence against the Government & doing the same which is required of M' Sly his Excellency is inclinable to remit the Imprisonment Mr Elias King & Mr Henry Lands petition read & referred to the honble Thomas Tench Esq' Iudge of the Admiralty on the eastern Shore Whereas the honble Coll° Iohn Addison Coll° John Courts & Thomas Brook Esq' are not Come to Town resolved that p. 153 the Court of appeals & writts of Error be held on the 20th day of 8ber next ensuing being the first day of the meeting of the next Sessions of Assembly & that the Gentlemen of the Council be writt to know why they did not come to hold the Court & not to fail Coming on the 20th of October next Then read the following proclamation which is approved of & signed by his Excellency & ordered to be Sealed with the great Seal By his Excy the Cap' Gen' &c2 A Proclamation Whereas there have lately been great disturbances & Comotions raised set on foot & fomented by divers wicked persons evilly affected to this his Majestys Gov' & the peace & Tranquillity thereof & especially by Iohn Cood Sen' late of St Marys County now fled into the Colony of Virginia from Iustice here for his horrid & impious Blasphemy & other notorious offences to the great detriment & trouble of many his Majestys good Subjects within this Province And now whereas several of the said Offenders have been apprehended & at the last provincial Court held in august & sept instant proceeded against accords to Law & their con Lib. X. victed of such their offences & misdem" it is reasonably hoped the said Comotions and disturbances are pretty well allayed P. 154 if not further pursued by the said Iohn Cood so fled as aforesaid & who now by a Bill found by the Grand Iury of the Province at the last Provincial Court stands indicted for endeavouring as much as in him lay to excite & stir up his majestys liege people within this province to rebel against his Majestys Gov & Gov' by law established I do therefore in his Majestys name by & with the advice & Consent of the honble his Majestys Council within this province publish declare give notice to & Command all his Majstys good & Loving subjects within this province that they do for the future forbear to Associate converse with harbour Entertain or hold any Correspondence whatsoever with the said John Cood either by writing or otherwise but that they & every of them do endeavour to apprehend & Secure the said John Cood when ever he shall attempt to Come within this Province as they will answer the Contrary at their peril And whereas Mr Philip Clark of St Marys County late one of the Attorneys of the provincial Court & one of the Attorneys in St Marys County hath again so ill behaved himself that for his just deserts he hath rendred himself uncapable of practising as an Attorney in any of the said Courts & altogether unservicable to his Clients yet his Majestys Iustices of the provincial Court Considering that several persons depended upon the said Clark to manage their affairs to him Committed expecting that he might have been in better Circumstances which proving otherwise might be a great Suprizal & Detrim' to them have Continued the several actions wherein he was Concerned until the next Prop. 155 vincial Court which is to be held God willing the 2d Tuesday in Nov' next against which time it will be for the Interest of such persons to employ some other Attorneys to manage their Concerns depending in the said Court And I do further in his Majestys name strictly Charge & Command the several Sheriffs of this Prove that they publish this my Proclamation in all Churches Chappels Court houses & other publick places of meeting within their several Counties & also the 2 Addresses from his Majestys Iustices of the Provincial Court & the Gentlemen who served as Grand Iurors in the said Prov' Court according to which all persons are to Conform themselves thereto at their perils Given at the town & Port of Annapolis under the great Seal of this province this 14th day of September in the tenth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King William the third &c Anno Dom 1698 Fra Nicholson God save the King To his Excellency Francis Nicholson Esq' Cap' Gen1 & Lib. X. Commander in chief of this his Majestys Province of Maryland Whereas there have of late been many Scandalous & Defamatory Rumors & Storys stirred up in this Province but more particularly in St Marys County tending to the disquiet & trouble of this his Majestys happy Government & with which false Reports its much doubted many of his Majestys good & peacable Subjects have been much abused & amused by false Notions & Apprehensions which if not Speedily removed may tend to the great Damage & Punish- p. 156 ment of those persons no less then disquiet the province the same things have already brought to Condign punishment & will undoubtedly be the portion of all that shall persist in such evils And forasmuch as your Excellency hath of your Goodness Condescended so far as to lay before the Court & Country lately present at Annapolis to a very great number the several Rumors & Reports that have of late been Invented & spread abroad against this his Majestys Gov' & made them all appear by records & other undeniable proofs to be some false some scandalous & all malitious to the full Satisfaction & beyond contradiction in the minds of all persons present & to the Conviction of those Concerned insomuch that it hath been represented to your Excellency & your Excellency prayed to issue forth proclamation through this province thereby to disabuse his Majestys Good Subjects & to settle them in peace & quiet & also to Caution & leave without excuse all such who by those gentle admonitions will not be reclaimed & to let all know those very persons who were the actors & principles therein are so sensible of the falsitys & evil thereof that they have made a publick acknowledgment & entred into Solemn Engagements to avoid & abandon the like for the future We do therefore humbly pray your Excellency that it may be published proclamed & made known that all the said Rumors & Storys are false feigned Scandalous & Malitious Invented & spread abroad by John Cood as principal Author & others that have suffered thereby & so probably would the said Cood but that he is fled into Virginia & p. 157 there harboured with whom his Majestys good subjects may be commanded & required not only to forbear associating & Combining but to Seize & apprehend him wherever found in this province & Convey to the next Iustice of peace to be sent to the Sher of the County according to a former Proclamation & we do hope and expect that all persons will take warning & be thereby Cautioned against such practices for Lib. X. the future it appearing to us that your Excellency is desirous & inclined rather to caution & prevent the evil than punish for it & not to take advantage against any for what is past provided they behave themselves as they ought for the future & we hope all persons take due notice & conform themselves as they will answer the Contrary at their utmost peril To his Excellency Francis Nicholson Esq' Captain General & Commander in chief of the Province of Maryland We whose Names are Subscribed being present on Saturday last being the 3d Instant in the Provincial Court at which time your Excellency was pleased with his Majestys honble Council to come & declare to the Court & County then present the several Devises & wicked Machinations that of late had most maliciously & falsly been Invented studied & spread abroad to the defaming & Scandal trouble & desquiet of this happy Gov' & the Hon' & Verascity of the Gov' as well as by what p. 158 you were then pleased to declare & make publick as by several other pregnant reasons & proofs being so fully & Clearly Vindicated & the malitious designs aforesaid so palpably detected & their contrivances we hope almost brought to nought & supprest we conceive ourselves obliged in Gratitude & good manners to your Exc" & in Love & Good will to our Country humbly represent the same to your Exc" & pray That you will Continue this your Goodness & care of us 2 That you will by some proclamation or other publick instrument (as your wisdom shall advise) make the same known through the whole Province not only to Quiet the minds of those that may have any distrust or doubt but to warn & caution all others to avoid such wicked designs & Contrivances or the least to Engage or be seduced by them that thereby they may avoid those just Punishments that some are deservedly fallen into for the same In this we speak our own hearts & minds & we verily believe of all those that heard the same & humbly Subscribe our names. Robert Smith Tho Staly Ino Thompson Iustices Wm Turlo, And Parker, Richd Iones, In° Howard Tho Lib. X. Coursey A Miller, Gabriel Parrot, Wm Rownd Gilb Clark, Iohn Hurst, Lane Todd, Iohn Duvole, Hugh Riley Com Howard, p. 159 Charles Hammond, Iohn Willoughby Philip Lynes, Elias King Samuel Holdsworth, Iohn Holdsworth George Layfield Grand & Petit Iurors Ordered that the several Naval officers within this Province do not fail to bring up their acco's & swear to them the first day of the meeting of the next Assembly Ordered that the several Sheriffs do give publick notice to the members of his Majestys honble Council and the house of Delegates not to fail coming to Annapolis the 26th day of October next viz' the first day appointed for the meeting of the next Sessions of Assembly & to all persons that have any Claim to make that they swear to them & send them by their Delegates the first day of the Assembly. Ordered that the several Sheriffs do give publick Notice that the Court of his Excellency the Gov' & Council for hearing of appeals & writts of Error will sit on the 20th of October next ensuing that his Majestys high Court of Chancery will set upon the 2 monday in Nov' next that the prov1 Court will be held on the 2a tuesday in the said month of Nov' as also the Commissarys Court the same day & that there will be no Prov' Court held in the winter till the latter end of April or beginning of May they being found to be very inconvenient by reason of the cold seasons Ordered that the several Sheriffs do take effectual care to have the several lists of Taxables returned without fail the 20th of 8 ber next the Country having been put to great charge the last year for want of their being returned in due time And whereas the Returns made last year relating to Vessels p. 160 & Seafaring men &c & also to Churches Chappels priests dissenters &c & adjudged not to be Satisfactory & his Excellency is again required by the right honble the Lords of the Council of Trade & Plantations to have a more exact & perfect Acco' sent them Ordered therefore that the several Constables go about from house to house within their respective hundreds & take an exact Acco' of all men women & Children & what religion & perswasion they are of also what ministers or priests Noncomformists Speakers or others they have residing within their several hundreds & what Churches Chapels meeting houses & other publick places of Devotion they have & likewise what Schools & by whom kept all which they are to return in Distinct Columns in a fair Sheet of paper & a good Legible hand |